In Canada, Butter Chicken is one of the most popular dishes in Indian Restaurants. Most restaurants here don't distinguish between southern Indian and northern Indian cooking which differs quite a bit in both ingredients and cooking styles. In the north where it's much cooler than the hot, tropical south of India, cream, dairy and wheat reign supreme, hence the origin of this dish. Given our cooler climate (OK- downright cold for much of the year), you can see why this dish is a perennial favourite in Canada amongst restaurant diners.
While wonderfully flavourful and delicious, Butter Chicken is also usually chock full of calories. In this version however, Bal Arneson, author of “Everyday Indian” offers up a recipe that's just as fantastic, but a whole lot healthier (she uses yoghurt instead of the usual suspects). Here's what she has to say about this recipe: “Growing up vegetarian, I had never eaten butter chicken. The first time I tried it was in a restaurant here in Canada, and I could see why people loved it—chicken cooked with cream and ghee (Indian butter)—but I was turned off by the heaviness of the sauce. It inspired me to create my own healthy version of this popular Indian dish. My 14-year-old daughter cannot get enough of this, and every time her friends stay over, they request my no-butter chicken.”
Bal’s No-Butter Chicken Recipe by Bal Arneson
Ingredients
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 Tbsp Garam Masala
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ¾ cup low-fat plain yogurt
- ¼ cup water
Method
- Place the oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat, add the onions, and sauté until dark golden brown.
- Add the garlic and ginger, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the garam masala, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, turmeric, and salt, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Mix in the chicken and cook until the chicken is almost done, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the yogurt and water, and cook until the chicken is fully cooked, about 5 minutes.
- Serve it with brown rice or plain rotis (recipe on page 20 of Bal's book- "Everyday Indian").
Occasional Indulgence Note from Bal: Feel free to use whipping cream instead of yogurt. Even I give in and indulge from time to time!
Suggested wine: Gewürztraminer
Serves 4
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